EVENTS

Learning how to make flavored vinegars and flavored oils. Techniques on how to dry herbs for long time storage. How to make your own "Jarlick" without the chemical preservative aftertaste. Making an herb drying rack system that is pest free for outdoor use.

This vegetable can be a bit challenging. Knowing how to care for it and what varieties to plant is the difference between a puny bulb and a large bulb worth storing for winter. We will discuss the pruning of onions and demonstrate how to upcycle the cuttings into gourmet onion salt and other preservation methods.

There are various types of pickles. You can pickle anything from a cucumber to a watermelon rind or even fruits like an apple or a lemon. . Some pickles are sweet and some are savory. Some pickles are brine based, some are "quick" pickles that are made for storage in the refrigerator, some are fermented (great for gut health) and still others are canned for shelf stable preservation. We will demonstrate all of these.

We will discuss the differences between chemical and natural remedies to pest pressure and diseases like powdery mildew. We strive to use natural remedies such as neem oil. And the benefits of natural fertilizers vs. chemical fertilizers.

Though succession gardening allows the gardener to decide what and how much plant, we are all overwhelmed at some point with the abundance. Strategies for managing how and when to preserve at your convenience.

Join us for a monthly meet-up stained glass social event! Use one of our patterns or bring your own, this is your opportunity to make stained glass independently with one of our staff members on site for guidance, but this event is not a guided class. Participants must have taken the "Intro To Stained Glass" class at Factory Two prior to this event. Space is limited, reserve your spot by getting a ticket ahead of time! Ticket purchase is required to attend. Click "get tickets" below. Stations will operate on a "first come first serve" basis, as tools are limited.

How to plant each type of potato. How to grow your own sweet potato slips. Differences between planting determinate and indeterminate potatoes. Signs of when to harvest and when to harvest. How to prepare for hardening off the potatoes for storage and how to store them.

Root vegetables can be canned, frozen, dehydrated or stored over winter in a cool space such as a garage or basement. Various mediums can be used. We will demonstrate using straw, shavings and sand as a storage medium.

What happens when you save and plant heirloom or open air pollinated varieties of seeds? Understanding cross pollination and why it may or may not be beneficial.

Understanding the needs and requirements to produce a bountiful harvest. From when to start indoors to transplanting; pruning for multiple branching to sacrificing early first blooms. When to harvest and how to preserve. Drying techniques such as braiding, string drying, solar dehydration, freezing and pickling. Recipes will also be available Jalapeño Cowboy Candy.

There will be a demonstration on how to manage the harvesting so that you can potentially only have to spend one day of the season canning tomatoes. Techniques for peeling and seeding will be demonstrated as well as the canning process from start to finish. A handout will be made available on this process.

Knowing the signs of stress and what to do about it can cause you to lose one, if not all, of your crop. Save yourself from losing months of hard work by knowing the signs of stress in plants.

Understanding the purpose and benefits of mulch. There is traditional mulch such as wood chips, leaf mould, grass clippings, etc., but there are also living mulches. Like other mulches, they shade the roots of their neighbors helping to preserve moisture; however, they also have other benefits.

Not just for large commercial farmers. This is 2-fer for the garden using the chop and drop method. We will discuss the various types of cover crops and what they add to the soil and why it matters.

Now is the time to plant garlic! This crop will over winter in the bed with short green shoots peeking out from the snow. Garlic has 2 different types of harvests if you pay close attention. We will be discussing the type and varieties that grow best in our area as well as how to cultivate, harvest and store. We will experiment with regular store bought garlic, organic store bought and garlic specifically generated for planting.

The end of the season doesn't end the garden's life; however, it is time to prepare it for winter. Cold hardy plants will be covered with row covers and gardeners are welcome to come and harvest, probably through December. We will be setting up the row covers and mulching beds with biomass and doing our last turning of the compost.

This is probably the most important session we will have. We will review the season and discuss what worked well and what didn't work well. How to improve for next season and what our goals will be. We will discuss what we will grow so that seeds and plants can be ordered. We will also put together a "Wish List" for what we'd like to invest in for the next season.